Coventry: A Multicultural City of Industry

Council House (photo: Copventry City Council)

 

In 1043 Leofric, Earl of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva established a Benedictine abbey in the city. By the 14^th century Coventry had become an important center of the textile trade, run by many wealthy guilds. The importance of the textile trade decreased in the 17^th century and watchmaking gained in importance. In 1896, the first British cars were produced in Coventry. In 1905 Coventry became one of the first cities to produce synthetic textiles.

The best known landmarks of Coventry are 13th century Trinity Church, former guilds house St. Mary’s Hall (1450) and Saint Michael’s Cathedral, which was rebuilt on German donations in 1962 after it had, like the old city center, been destroyed in air raids during World War II. The ruins of the church and its 92-meter high tower have remained as a memorial. The rest of the inner city has been rebuilt in modern style on British government funds .

Coventry is a university city located in the Midlands, near Birmingham. The city is a center of industry and is famous for the construction of automotive and aircraft engines. Presently, this multicultural, lively city has a population of 304,000.

The year 2005 marked the 60^th anniversary of the end of the war and the 50^th anniversary of Austria's state treaty. On this occasion, the Coventry Association for International Friendship (www.caif.net) paid a visit to Graz in order to initiate new forms of cooperation  between the two twin cities.

For further information on life and culture in Coventry please see the city’s homepage at www.coventry.gov.uk. Some of Coventry’s annual events are the Godiva Festival of Music and Theatre and the Royal Agriculture Show. There is also a biannual festival of church music.